Deep Rivers was originally born on stage, during the celebrations of the centenary of the arrival of jazz in Europe in 1918. The project eventually became an album, which Paul Lay anchored in a vast and eclectic repertoire of music, starting at the end of the 19th century and running all the way until the 20th century. Ragtime, American Civil War, slaves & plantations, the roaring 20s, from Broadway to Tin Pan Alley, from Scott Joplin to Nina Simone, all these different names and time periods, all these different heritages all come together and intersect on this project, creating a magnificent whole thanks to the talent of the arrangement by the Southern French musician. With the voice of Isabel Sörling and Simon Tailleu on the double bass, Paul Lay resurrects these themes of the past to construct a distinctly contemporary narrative. Along with the piano, the double bass and vocals, he adds according to each track: drums from Donald Kontomanou, trombone from Bastien Ballaz, trumpet from Quentin Ghomari and alto saxophone from Benjamin Dousteyssier. Listening to Deep Rivers is like rifling through a thick, richly illustrated history book. Thick but not dusty, however. A truly original way of presenting music which only goes to confirm Paul Lay’s multifaceted talent. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz